Emotional Torture
by Knight of L-sama
Summary: [COMPLETE] My first LZ fic. I won't say what it's about, for fear of ruining the suspense. Let's just say, Zel and Lina...are both looking for a cure for something. Please R&R! (Poetry Very Bad!)
1. Reunion

A/N: This is a requested L/Z fic, something I haven't had practice in writing.  So please excuse it if it isn't as good as you might think it will be.  I'm going to try to make this fic a lot shorter than my other ones; only like, 3-5 chaps if I can help it.  Oh, yeah, like the title?  I wanted to name it "Emotion He**", but that didn't seem erm…appropriate.  I don't know if this story will live up to its rating, but we'll see.  Okay, let's see how we do!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or anything else that isn't mine to own.

**EmOtIoNaL**** ToRtuRe**

Ch. 1 – Reunion

_            I hate this stupid body.  _Why_ did Rezo ever curse me?  Did he want me to live in _agony_ all my life?  *Sigh* If it weren't for him, I'd…I don't know what I'd do with my time.  I get the feeling that it will always be hopeless for me to cure my body.  But every time I think of giving up, something tells me to keep looking, that I'll find it eventually.  The 'eventually' part is what worries me though.  I'm on another lead; probably a dead end like the rest.  I- wait.  Is that who I think it is?_

            "MEGA BRAND!  Hmph!  There!  That's what you get for ruining my lunch!"

            _Yes.  It's exactly_ who I think it is: Lina Inverse, sorceress extraordinaire.__

            Zelgadis Greywards had been traveling the world, sometimes more than twice over, in search of his cure.  To him, the blue tint to his skin, stones scattered over his body, and his lavender wire hair, were monstrous.  Those who agreed with him were idiots - himself included.  At least, this was the opinion of those who cared about him, and knew him for who he was and accepted him with near open arms.  Lina was one of those people, though she would _never_ admit that she cared, even to herself.

            Lina was a hot-headed, stubborn girl, who enjoyed large meals and money.  Taking this into account, she pays for her meals with what she steals from bandits – and that's how she makes a living.  People who don't know her, fear her; those who know her, still fear her, but not in a life-threatening way.  She travels the world as well, but in search of more power and money and food.

            These two are more similar than people realize, and surprisingly more stubborn when it comes to feelings.  Each created a hard-as-rock outer self to protect their sensitive feelings on the inside.  Both are feared by those who are unaware of the extreme control they have over their powers; thus protecting themselves from the two.  Both now travel the world alone, in seek of something.  Why they themselves have never taken advantage of their connection is a mystery unto itself.

            When Zel saw Lina standing triumphantly over a pile of toasted men, he couldn't help but break into a soft smile.  Here he was, brooding over his cure that he could do nothing about by himself, while Lina was happily overcoming any obstacles that came between her and her goal.

            Across the crowd, the ruby eyes of the red-headed girl, and the sapphire eyes of a rock-hard traveler locked on each other.  After registering the fact that she knew him, Lina's eyes lit up with what seemed like extremely unyielding glee.  Kicking off from the stack, she used her Levitation spell to fly over the crowd to him.  Zel only continued to smile, as his eyes followed Lina's movements.

            Her eyes were bright and her cheeks were rosy, as if she were a little girl running home for a big surprise.  For a moment, nothing was said between the two.

            Quietly, almost in a whisper, she greeted him.  "Hey Zel, long time no see.  Want to go grab some lunch?  These guys," she gestured to the pile, "messed up the restaurant I was in before I really got to eat."

            Zel replied, "I spent all of my money traveling, so I can't pay for it."

            "Oh."  Lina looked down, a bit disappointed.  When she looked up at Zel again, her eyes were brighter and happier than ever.  "Never mind that.  It's been so long since we've last seen each other…I'll pay for it.  Most of it will probably be mine anyways.  Unless…your eating habits have changed."

            Lina gave Zel a scrutinizing look, to which Zel put his hands up in defense.  "I haven't changed if you haven't."

            She nodded with satisfaction, "Then it's settled," and started pushing Zel towards the center of town, away from the havoc she and the brawl had created.  "Come on, I know this great place with a lot of cheap but really good food.  You must be starving."

            Zel remarked as he started walking on his own, "Actually I had a rather good cup of coffee this morning, so I'm alright."

            Lina looked distraught in a mocking sort of way.  "That's it?!  You need to get some _meat_ in your bones.  It's right over there; let's go."

            _All-You-Can-Eat-For-One-Silver-Piece?__  Lina wasn't kidding.  Wait a minute- I remember we came to this town before.  We were distracted so we never did_ go there…Ah well, I could use a good meal, I guess.  If Lina stops while eating, I might actually be able to find out what she's been up to the last few years.  Ah, who am I kidding?  _Lina_ wouldn't stop eating to talk.__

            The hostess seated them in a large table near the kitchen (self-buffets won't be in this restaurant), under Lina's request.  Lina made her usual order of "Everything on the left side of the menu", and continued her habit of surprising the owners.  Nevertheless, a stream of waiters and waitresses began coming out of the kitchen, each putting down a separate dish onto the table until it was full.  Eyes glittering, Lina immediately dug in.

            Upon seeing that Zel wasn't eating, only watching her with what she interpreted as amazement, Lina pointed to his food with her fork while trying to say something with her mouth full.  The end result: sputters and spit, but Zel got the message and started to eat, with his eyes still on Lina.

            Before long, this got under Lina's skin, which was usually hard to do.  Flushing down her latest mouthful of food with a chug of milk, Lina stared back at Zel, challenging him.  "What is it?  Why do you keep staring at me like that?"

            Zel shook his head as if coming out of a trance.  Sitting up, he apologized softly and explained, "Sorry, it's just that I can't help but be amazed how little you seemed to have changed, even though it's been ten years."

            At this, Lina's ears became alert.  "Not changed?  Zel, you can't just see me for a few minutes and say I haven't changed.  Sure, I still like to beat up the bad guys, and I still like to eat, but I _have_ changed.  As for you…well, you don't look much different, but there's something different about you, but I can't exactly put my finger on it."

            Zel raised an eyebrow.  "You have good eyes."

            Lina smirked.  "It's more like good intuition."

            A peaceful silence passed between the two; the clamor of the restaurant could be heard in the background.  Finally, Lina spoke again.  "Are you going to eat that or not?  If you won't…ah, I'll make you.  Spellcasters like you and I need to eat a lot, Zel.  We've got to keep up our strength."

            "Maybe, but your magic drains you a lot more than mine drains me," Zel pointed out.

            Lina laughed uneasily.  "Hehe, I guess you're right.  Still, you can't travel on an empty stomach, magic user or not."

            "Well, my stamina's pretty high, so I can probably last longer without food."

            Lina's expression grew dark.  "Stop arguing and EAT.  I'm paying, remember?"

            Zel grinned, and dug into the steak before him.  As he got into eating mode, he was surprised to find that he was a lot hungrier than he expected.  As if a dam had been broken, Zel began shoveling food into his mouth as if it had been months since his last good meal, which was actually pretty accurate.  Lina smiled as she noticed this, and went back to eating as well.

            Between the two, once they were as stuffed as could be, they managed to lick clean about thirty full-course plates.  Feeling very satisfied, Lina paid twenty gold pieces, mostly as high tip, before they left.  Zel was bewildered as he watched Lina pay much more than necessary.  Upon seeing his gaping expression, Lina grinned, and called him over so that they could leave.

            Once they were out on the streets, Lina let him in on 'a little secret', as she looked for a good inn.  Apparently, one of her oldest friends owned that restaurant, and since they were a little low on money, Lina thought that it was the least she could do.  Zel chuckled to himself at that.  When Lina asked why he was laughing, he replied that it was nothing; he had just realized that Lina was right in that she _had_ changed.

            From the way her expression changed back and forth, Zel could tell she was wondering whether she should feel happy that Zel admitted she was right, or miffed that he thought that this was too generous of an act for her.  In the end, Lina decided to just drop it altogether, for she had found the inn she was looking for: Royale Rooms, Spas, & Diner.  Lina registered for two rooms, and turned to ask Zel if he wanted to take a bath.  When Zel gave her a bewildered look, she quickly added, "Not together; no, I just thought that since we've both been traveling so much, a relaxing bath could really be good for us."

            Zel commented on it as soon as he realized it.  "You seem a lot more concerned with health now too."

            Lina bit her lip as she looked at her toes.  Shaking her head, Lina's wavering voice tried to bring back her confidence.  "What's wrong with that?  Health is important."

            Zel noticed the sudden change in Lina, and immediately bent to her will.  "I suppose you're right, again.  My back actually feels like it might have some deep kinks that need working out, too."

            Lina gave a toothy grin.  "Let's go then.  The spas are this way."

            As Zel was once more nudged by Lina, Zel couldn't help but ask, "How do you know this town so well?"

            Lina was quiet for a moment.  Out of nowhere, she finally answered, "When I was younger, I attended the magic academy in Atlas City.  Every year, I would return home to show my sister how much I had improved.  This was a common pit stop for me, and I always made sure to stop by here whenever I was going in either direction.  See you in about an hour, Zel."

            This was where the two travelers split to go into the separate divisions of the non-co-ed bath spas.  On either side of the bamboo fence, they both entered a deserted pool of water; apparently, business wasn't good that day.  After a good scrubbing, they simultaneously leaned their backs against the fence, and just relaxed their muscles.  An involuntary sigh of relief escaped them both.  When they heard each other, they laughed at the coincidence.  The rest of the bath time was spent in appreciated silence, as neither preferred to talk over a fence.

            Later that night, they met up in Lina's room for a good informative talk.  There, they swapped stories and learned of the others' doings and status.

            Zel had been searching for his cure since even before they went their separate ways.  Being so obsessed with finding a cure, he didn't spare the time to befriend anyone, much less gain company along the way.  He used the little money that he made from occasionally guarding rich people, to pay for his food and supplies.  That, according to him, was the gist of it.

            Lina had split up with Gourry several months after they defeated Darkstar.  When they learned that there was nothing between them but sibling adoration, Lina convinced Gourry to go back and find Sylphiel.  After that, she continued to roam the land as she had before she had met any of them.  Lina added that every time she happened to be in the area, she visited them, so they were still on good terms.  Bringing that to attention, Lina asked what had happened between Zel and Amelia.

            When Zel responded that he didn't know what she was talking about, Lina nudged him in the ribs jokingly, saying that he should've known that Amelia had had a crush on him.  Zel shrugged.  He quietly answered that in all his traveling, he had yet to visit Amelia again.  Lina frowned at that.  Lina decided to fill him in on Amelia as well.  When Lina visited Amelia a few years ago, Prince Phil had recently died (actually died this time), meaning Amelia was left to control the kingdom herself.  Her advisors persisted and finally convinced her to choose a suitable King.  At this point, Zel interrupted to say that he remembered getting a message from her while he was near the Kataart Mountains, but since he thought he had a really good lead, he couldn't spare the time to even reply.

            Zel could tell that Lina wasn't pleased that he just blew off their princess friend, in her time of dire need.  Before Zel could even try to defend himself, Lina stopped him, and told him to forget it for the time being.  They could visit Amelia and her husband after the contest.

            His eyes bulged when he heard the words 'husband', 'Amelia', and 'visit' all in the same sentence.  He was in the middle of preparing an excuse not to go, when he remembered the rest of Lina's sentence.  Zel asked what she meant by 'contest'.  Snapping her fingers as if remembering something, Lina rushed to her cape that had been hung on the chair, and pulled out a slightly ripped flyer.  She gave it to Zel to read as she explained that on her recent trip home, her sister had challenged her to face it, but not alone.  It was a year-round contest, and anyone could enter at any time.  Lina thought it was a perfect opportunity since it was somewhat nearby, and they were both alone on their travels now.  Zel was about to ask what he would find interesting about this contest, when he saw it for himself.  The flyer read:

**To Any who Enter, Beware.**

**For Besides a Entry Fare,**

**Lives You Stake in Twos,**

**Since a Partner You must Choose.**

**Be Careful Who you Pick -**

**This Person may make you Sick,**

**Before the Contest is Done.**

**Though the Pair that Finishes First,**

**Wins a Prize that Heals All who are Cursed,**

**The Pathway there has Long Since been Met,**

**With Couples who Start to Fret,**

**Before the first Day is Done.**

**So if You think you can Survive,**

**We Patiently Wait, For you to Arrive.**

**A 10,000 Gold Fee you shall Pay,**

**Demons You See, you should Slay,**

**And if You Live through the Tests,**

**You can Bask in that High-Price Pleasure,**

**Of having Obtained, a Priceless Treasure.**

**Can you find, "The Curing Chisel"?**

**~Sponsers ANONYMOUS~**

            After rereading the flyer, Zel looked up at Lina, speechless.  An owl hooted in the silence that followed.  At last, after repeatedly looking from Lina to the flyer, back and forth, he asked, "Is this for real?"

A/N:  Well?  What do you think?  Tell me now if you've seen anything like it before, because I'd like to keep my story as original as possible.  Of course, this is just the beginning.  The "Emotional Torture" that the title spoke of, has yet to begin.  Please review!


	2. Day One

A/N:  Hip-hip Hooray!  Goody.my fic has originality ^_^  Two reviews on its first day; it's so lucky!  **Please review** some more!  Okay, enough of that.  I must channel all of my negative energy into my brain and then onto the computer.  If I do it right, it should be full-blown angst and well, torture.  If you think I did something wrong or something's missing, please review and give me some pointers for the next chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or anything else that isn't mine to own.

2- Day One

            Lina gave Zel a slight frown, as if she couldn't believe that Zel didn't believe that this was for real.  "Zel, you know me; would I lie or question something that has _anything_ to do with my sister?"

            Zel made one quick sideways jerk of his head as he realized the truth in this.  He responded, "I suppose you're right, but are you sure you want to do this with _me_?  I mean, if your sister said not to go alone, I would have thought that you'd choose Gourry.  He's always been your protector."

            Lina smiled softly and shook her head.  She closed her eyes as she did this, and when she opened them, her eyes showed that she only wanted Zel to go with her.  "I have a feeling Gourry wouldn't 'appreciate' this as much as you would.  If you think about it, what does he have that needs curing?  He's happily married to someone who cooks and takes care of him, while assisting the villagers in any way that he can.  No, I thought it best to just leave him be; he's Sylphiel's protector now."

            Zel nodded slowly, as if he were just beginning to understand _just_ how much things had really changed while he was away.  Returning Lina's smile with his own, he asked, "When do you want to leave?"

            Lina's whole expression brightened considerably at this.  "You'll go with me then?  Great!  It's in Solaria - East of here about two or three days walking - so we can leave tomorrow morning, after breakfast.  That okay with you?"

            As Zel stood up, he replied, "That's fine.  I'll meet you downstairs in the morning then.  Good night."

            "G' night Zel."

            With that, Zel crossed the room, left, and went into his, which happened to be just next door.  Smiling happily, Lina scrambled under the covers like a child on Christmas Eve who couldn't wait for morning to come.  Looking out the window, she saw one star burn brighter than all the others.  In her mind, she thought, "I did it Onee-san; I did what you asked me to.  I just hope I can survive this to tell you in person."

            The next morning was bright and cheerful.  Birds were chirping their song of dawn; leaves were rustled by a crisp, uplifting breeze; and for once, the place where Lina had eaten wasn't blown up.  Yes, this was _definitely_ a good day to start something; a new era of peace had begun that morning.

            Upon seeing Lina, Zel informed her that if they flew, they could reach Solaria easily in a day, and then they could use that night to rest up before they tackled this new situation.  Surprisingly to Zel, she agreed, and that became their plan of action.  However, once in the skies, Lina's playful, competitive side took over; she'd race ahead of Zel about twenty or so yards, stop, and wait for him to come near her so she could repeat the process.  Lina quickly grew bored of this game as Zel seemed to simply ignore her antics, so she flew beside him the rest of the way.

            Zel's calculations were dead on; they reached their destination a couple of hours after the sun had set.  Just like they had intended, Lina and Zel found a suitable inn and rested up for the following day.  When that morning came, Lina stretched like nothing could defeat her that day.  Before long, they were out searching for the designated place, which, after asking a few senior villagers, wasn't hard at all.

            Set up in the middle of Town Square, two middle-aged men were seated next to a purple-draped door-frame.  Lina was mildly surprised by this, as the doorway didn't seem to be connected to anything.  However, when she verified with the men, she was told that this was indeed, the portal to another dimension; where the bravest travelers could go in search of the mystical "Curing Chisel."

            Lina showed them the flyer she had received, and proceeded to sign up.  Zel did not intervene for the sole purpose that Lina had told him there was no need to.  In what seemed like less than a minute, they were ready to enter.  Taking a deep breath, Lina encouraged, "Let's do it!"  Together, they flipped open the curtain and took the first step forward.

            A strong rush of wind, similar to that of a vacuum, sucked them into the depths of the dimension.  During their flight, Zel and Lina gripped each other's hands, not wanting to get separated.  All around them seemed to be an endless black abyss, with no road, no light in sight.  As always, for some strange reason, they could still see themselves, and found unknowing gratitude in that.  As sudden as their first sweep off the ground, they were almost thrown through another veiled doorway, landing with a *thump* on a cold, hard surface.  With a groan, Lina and Zel slowly stood up and looked around.

They seemed to be in a movie room of some sort, for two black lounging chairs fitting of a futuristic setting, sat facing a large projector screen.  The room itself was very square; dark gray in color, the walls seemed to close in on them, ever so slowly, ever so carefully.  The ground they stood on was black marble, swirls of black, glossy marble.

            An automated feminine voice took them by surprise as the sound echoed within those very walls.  "Wel-come to the Mo-vie Me-mor-y Room.  Please have a seat and en-joy."

            Lina and Zel exchanged glances, and with a shrug, they both seated themselves in the chairs.  As if it were a lightning reflex to weight of any amount, a seatbelt shot out of the left armrest, and connected with a click to the right armrest.  The same happened around their ankles and their wrists.  Zel and Lina were bewildered as they wondered what was going to happen to them next.  The metallic voice came again.  "Please en-joy the mo-vie."

            In black and white, the old projector displayed the number count down.  Four, three, two, one.*Bleep* They could hear the camera rolling behind them as they settled in their seats.

**

            The camera zoomed immediately into the face of a bright, cheery young girl.  Her wavy hair flowed a bit past her shoulders, and she seemed to be wearing a very simple light-colored shirt and darker, tighter pants with a trim.  Her head barely came over the white clothed table that she stood next to, eyes constantly eyeing the cake that stood on top of it.  The homemade chocolate cake with four lighted candles was a big hint that she was a birthday girl, who was just turning four.

From her height, and the fact that her two front teeth were missing, one would guess that she was a toddler who may or may not like to get into fights.  In the background, an identical table stacked high with presents, signified that this girl was very much loved by those around her.   Those people were surrounding the little girl, bright smiles on their faces, and very basic, home-sewn clothes on their bodies.  An older girl wearing a slightly dusty dark gown underneath a flowery, white apron, with very neatly cut purple hair that came just above her shoulders, now bent down to talk with the younger girl.

**

            Lina tried to sink in lower in her seat, but the iron belts kept her from moving too much.  Zel noticed this and glanced in her direction, but the movie soon proved to be too irresistible to miss.

**

            "Alright, Lina," the older girl spoke, "It's time to blow out your candles.  Make a wish!"

            The little girl, now revealed to be little Lina herself, put a pudgy finger to her lower lip in thought.

            "I know!"  Lina exclaimed, her eyes suddenly shining brightly, "I wish for more gifts!"  With that, Lina blew out all the candles, with a little spit added along.  The older girl shook a finger at Lina in a reprimanding way, but her smile showed her own amusement.

            "Lina, Lina, Lina.  What did I tell you before?  Your wish doesn't come true if you tell it to _anyone_.  Now, that's all the gifts you get, today."

            Lina immediately pouted, bringing out her lower lip to enhance the sympathy votes.  "Awwww..Oneeee-san..Pleeeeeeeaaaseeee?  I'll be a _good_ little girl.  I pwomise!"

            Lina's older sister, Luna, shook her head, smile still shining.  "No, no.  I can't trust _your_ word.  Well, unless."

            The little girl immediately started to get excited.  "What?  Unless what?  Come on, tell me, tell me, tell meee.  I can do it!"

            Her sister straightened up as Lina looked up at her with pleading eyes.  Luna tapped her lips with her index finger in thought.  "Alright then.  Tell me the truth now.  Your wish come true depends on your answer.  What _really_ happened on your school field trip last month?   Somehow, the answer you gave me before seems a bit, unreliable."

            Lina let out an exasperated sigh.  "I _told_ you.  The Boogie-man jumped us in the middle of the night and destroyed our camp.  Why won't you believe me?  Anyone else who was there can vouch for me."

**

            Zel snorted, as if he had tried to laugh without opening his mouth.  Lina glanced in his direction and frowned.  She sighed; Lina didn't like where this movie clip was going - she still remembered that horrible day.

**

            Luna crossed her arms in front of her chest.  "Well, I would, but nobody else seems to share your opinion, let alone the fact that your 'boogie-man' seems to have made your ten other classmates as well as your teacher, disappear."

            Suddenly, as if on cue, a friend of Lina's, one of several people who were invited to the little party, screamed, "RUN!!! IT'S THE BOOGIE-MAN!!"

            Luna was a little dubious of this supposed attack, but the sudden deluge of fleeing guests convinced her of it.  Party tables were overturned, dropped cups and plates littered the grass, and Lina's presents were sprawled in a heap on the ground.  Before long, not a single person remained in the Inverse's backyard, save for Luna and Lina.  Together, they looked in the direction that the others were running from, and did indeed see something that could very well be described as the 'boogie-man'.

            A shaggy humanoid creature towered over the small village with gleaming red eyes.  Its long snout and ragged ears made it resemble a werewolf of some sort.  Perhaps the strangest part was the _clothes_ that the animal wore.  Black sunglasses resting on top of his head, just before his ears, a smug expression on his face, and black dance shoes, only accentuated the monster's jazzy _disco suit_.  A white shirt could be seen underneath an open lightning-design long-sleeved shirt.  A black belt held up its matching pants that flared considerably at the bottom.  All said in a word, he looked "dorky" in Luna's mind.  However, having seen his _moves_ at play before, Lina was a bit more reluctant to judge him like that.

            Considering that he was so tall that most people didn't even come up to the top of his shoes, the monster's voice boomed, "Hey, hey, hey where's the crowd gone?    Call me Marv- everyone else does.  I was told that a party was being held today."

            Upon remembering this, Lina shouted up at the monster, "THAT'S RIGHT!!! IT'S MY BIRTHDAY AND YOU SCARED AWAY ALL MY GUESTS!!!"

            The boogie monster's ears drooped and his smile disappeared at this, but only for a second.  Gaining a bright idea he suggested, "I know!  Why don't I dance you a birthday number to make up for it! I'm sure your friends will come running back soon."  
            Without even waiting for their consent, 'Marv' started _disco_ dancing.  He started by doing a foot swivel but this didn't work since his feet were in between close buildings, and thus he destroyed all of the buildings in his path.  From then on, it was a complete line of inappropriate disco moves.  In terms of inappropriate, the dance moves were inappropriate for one so large to portray in such close spaces.  It was not long before Luna became angry enough to lash out at the beast.

            First came the 'please leave' speech, which incidentally, only had those two words in them, but in a loud, firm voice.  Over the music that Marv was humming to himself, there was a good chance that he didn't hear her.  Summoning her great sword from virtually thin air, Luna pierced Marv's hand with it.  That caught his attention.  Luna repeated her words; Marv acted as if he didn't understand the meaning of those words.  Luna rephrased it as, "We don't want you here.  Please go."

            Marv didn't believe her, as if the sword in his hand was no hint, and continued to wreck the village recklessly.  Luna hid anger from her voice as she attempted to negotiate a.k.a. threaten.  "If you don't leave now, don't think that I won't hesitate to kill you."

            Marv's attitude suddenly made a very big switch on them.  Instead of having a carefree masculine voice, it became a squeaky, little girl's voice.  "Please don't kill him!  We're inside of him!  Help us!"

            Lina identified the voice.  "It's SAL!  One of my friends from camp!  Luna, you've got to help them!"

            Luna's expression darkened.  "You don't _honestly _expect me to fall for some cheap trick like that, do you?  Well, you asked for it.  Say Goodbye, _Marv_."

            Without touching it, Luna called back her sword so that it hovered right in front of her.  Luna started to cast a spell in which her large sword began to glow white.  Just as she was about to say the final part, the name of the spell, Marv's attitude became hostile, and he swiped Luna out of the air with a swift paw.  Lina yelped as she saw Luna's body fall limp on their home's roof.  Even from the ground, at a distance, Lina could visibly see blood forming a pool around Luna's unconscious body.

**

            Zel noticed that Lina shuddered.  Looking over to her, he saw that her eyes were shut tight, and she had a grim expression on her face.  A sudden notion hit Zel then.  . . .Was this all true?

**

           Body shaking from anger, little Lina slowly turned to face the beast.  The disco pup let out a small, inquiring whimper, because just then, a fierce red aura surrounded Lina.  The wrath of anger had merged with Lina.

**

As she turned three-quarters of the way towards the camera, the viewers saw that Lina's normal ruby eyes had expanded, so that the white of her eyes had become a glowing red.  For once, Zel and Lina were _both_ startled by this.  As Zel eyed Lina during the next few scenes, he realized that Lina had no recollection of anything that happened after Luna was hurt.

**

            Slowly, torturously, Lina raised her right hand, until her five fingers were pointing towards the torso of the Disco Destroyer, another plausible name for the beast.  In split-second timing, Lina's hand raised even further up, so that it pointed towards Luna's blade, which was still hovering, powered-up.

            With one ferocious yell, Lina released all of her energy to power up the spell that Luna hadn't managed to finish.  "MONSTER BEGONE!!!"  A thick beam of red light channeled energy from Lina's body, to the sword.  For a second, the silver blade glowed red, but the glow left as a red beam was released within a spiral spell of white magic.  Both hit Marv's chest where his heart would be if he were human.  Shrieking in agony, the Boogie-man began to shrink smaller and smaller, until he was as short as Lina.  Still raging from an emotional high, Lina walked over to the now feeble faux monster.  As Marv attempted to beg for mercy, Lina punched him in the stomach.  Bowled over, Lina kicked him in the shin; he keeled over even farther.  As the final attack, Lina stepped back, and aimed her hand at Marv.  With a soft "Goodbye", Lina killed the terrorist off with what could be considered a mini-Dragon Slave.  The Disco Destroyer diminished; he was decimated to dust that was carried off in the breeze.

            As if she just remembered her sister, Lina flew back to Luna.  Lina checked her pulse, as if she had always known what to do.  When she felt a feeble pulse, Lina grimaced, and glanced at Luna's sword.  Decision decided, Lina stepped back, and concentrated on levitating the sword towards them; it had the power to heal.  She held out her hand, and the sword flew into it.  All of a sudden, Lina was electrocuted so strongly that the very house she stood atop of shook.  Toasted to a crisp, Lina collapsed beside her sister.

            Only a few seconds later, Lina revived, eyes and energy virtually normal.  As the first thing she saw was Luna's still bleeding form, tears came to her eyes.  Believing it to be her fault, Lina leaned over Luna's back, arms crossed, and cried her eyes out.  One of those salty tears fell into a deep cut caused by the Boogie-man's claws.  As if it were a magical tear, Luna began to glow a very pale blue, almost white.  Lina abruptly sat up, alert, and rushed to dry her tears so that she could see.  Right before her eyes, Luna's scrapes began to mend at an incredible speed.

With a hiss, Luna bolted upright, rubbing her lower back as if she had merely fallen down.  When Lina tackled her out of pure happiness, Luna _did_ fall over again.  Luna looked down at Lina in surprise, before turning her attention to her surroundings.  No building within a mile's radius was standing, save for theirs.  Apparently, the shockwaves from the disco moves had destroyed houses farther away as well.  Looking back down at Lina, she tousled her little sister's hair and asked, amusement hinted in her smile, "So just _what_ have you been up to?"

Fighting back tears, Lina replied rapidly, "It was the Boogie-man like I said!  I didn't do anything wrong, did I?  You're okay, right?"

As if just remembering, Luna's expression grew serious.  "Speaking of which, where is that vile monster?"

At this, Lina looked around as well.  A totally clueless expression on her face, "I dunno sis."  Hitting upon a hopeful note, Lina added, "Maybe the mean ol' Mazoku just decided to leave us alone!"

Luna sighed.  "I highly doubt that Lina, but there's nothing we can do about that now.  I can't sense him right now, so it just might be something along those lines.  Now then, let's get this place cleaned up right and proper.  Would you like to help me with it?"

A sullen look replaced Lina's hopeful expression.  "Clean _this_ mess?  But that'd take forever!"

Luna waggled a finger between their faces.  "Not if you know how to do it with magic.  Come on, help me up and I'll teach you a new spell."

As Lina got off of Luna, and helped her sister up, she groaned, "White magic again?  When can I learn _black_ magic?"

At this, Luna gave Lina a queer look.  "Since when have _you_ been interested in black magic?"

Upon fully realizing what she said, Lina blinked.  "I don't know, I just suddenly have the urge to learn about it and stuff.  Besides, white magic is so boring."

Luna raised an eyebrow.  "Okay, think of it this way then, little Lina.  If you were to learn black magic, and you hurt yourself, it'd be easiest if you healed yourself with white magic, see?"

Slowly, Lina found the truth in this statement.  She nodded in response.  Conversation settled, Luna nodded back and took hold of her sword.  It fizzled slightly with sparks.  Looking it over, Luna wondered, "Lina.did you touch my sword?"

Lina yelped as if caught in the act.

**

            It was there that the movie clip ended.  The scene faded to black, and then, in white letters, it read "THE END - OR IS IT?"

            As if it were a reflex, both Lina and Zel leaned their heads back and sighed.  There had been something about that movie that had made it seem as if they were right there in the heat of the action.  Something was added, so that they could feel all of the emotions felt in the duration of the clip, when they were at their peak.  Fear, Distress, Anger, Resentment, and then relief; they felt it all in their hearts, and it _burned_.

            Zel looked over to Lina briefly, and saw a vacant look in her eyes, and that she was breathing laboriously.  The movie had sent her to a new level of torment.  A voice unknown to Lina, kept repeating inside her head, "It's your fault.  You killed the monster.  You killed your friends.  You knew they were still alive, and yet you killed them.  Murderer."

            Lina and Zel barely had time to catch their breath, as the movie began to count down again.  It was showing another movie clip.  Lina snapped out of it just barely enough to pay attention to her surroundings.  They both sucked in breath through their teeth, anxiety and fear coursing through their bloodstreams.  What would they face next?

A/N:  What?  Darn.  I wanted to get this done in three more chapters, but I guess I'll have to drag it out a bit longer.  Oh well.  More chances for you to review it!  If that was the best negativity I could muster, I'm beginning to doubt my ability at writing with it at all.  *Sigh*  I suppose I'm too happy of a person to really go full throttle on angst.  Then again, this is just the beginning of the story.^_^  Please Review!


	3. Day One Part Two

A/N: 0oO!  You really think this story is _that_ good?  Thank you sooo much for your reviews!  (I think that's the first time I've had five reviews for one chapter!) ^_^  I'm very happy.  About the movie room thing. . . You should know that I tend to be forgetful at times, and I'm not especially efficient in showing emotions so. . . Let's just say, since they were in another dimension, they believed anything was possible.  *sigh* I found that I can't become outwardly moody in order to write dark, angsty stuff, because if I'm distracted enough to be moody, I get a headache.  -_-.  Ah well, I'll manage.  Please continue to review!

Day One - Part Two

            The projector screen once again showed the countdown.  Four, three, two, one, *Bleep*.

            The camera had centered on following the sparring match between a middle-aged man and a teenage boy.  The man was only a head taller than the boy, but his features revealed strength with age and wisdom.  Their haircuts were similar in style, as their hair formed symmetrical "wings" above their ears.  The man's eyes were closed, his expression peaceful, as he blocked the young boy's attacks with a priest's staff.  He seemed to dodge and block effortlessly, in comparison to the boy, who was sweating profusely.  The attacking and dodging went on for another few minutes.  Finally, as if deciding to end it there, the man suddenly retracted his staff, and sent the end of it to meet the boy's stomach with a controlled thrust.  The boy hurtled head over heels in a sort of tumble until he hit the far wall, a wooden wall.

            The boy groaned as he clutched his stomach with one hand, and rubbed his head with the other.  He mumbled that his head hurt and that he didn't have to hit him so hard.  By "he", the boy was referring to his elder.  The older man did not move from his position, but he spoke his piece in an authoritative voice.

            "Get up now, Zelgadis.  A true man faces his dangers head on; a true warrior would take that hit with naught but a flinch.  How can you possibly hope to survive on your own, if you cannot take a simple hit to the stomach?  Get up, and face me now."

**

            Lina was surprised when the boy was identified as Zelgadis.  For one thing, he was human!  Though, she admitted to herself, she could see the definite resemblance.  He also looked much younger, too.  Lina judged from his appearance that he was around 15 or 16.  She couldn't help but also admit that Zelgadis looked rather _cute_ as a human.  Lina shook those thoughts out of her head, but a light tint of blush remained on her cheeks.

            Zel looked over at her, and his superb eyesight caught Lina becoming a little red.  His first thought was that Lina was getting hot.  Wait, that didn't sound right (to Zel).  He didn't catch any beads of sweat on her face either.  Zel came to another answer; was Lina _embarrassed_?  Resolving that this might be exactly it, Zel wondered what she could possibly be embarrassed about now of all times.  He glanced at the movie clip and a voice projected an idea into his head.  "Lina is embarrassed that you were so _weak_ as a human.  She's ashamed to be your friend.  She. . ."  Zel shook off these thoughts before they could be finished, and tried to concentrate on the movie clip.

**

            Zelgadis struggled to get up as he used the wall for support.  While sliding his back slowly up the wall, he insisted with the air of whining, "But Master Rezo, we've been sparring for three straight hours now!  I'm tired."

            Rezo's cool, calm voice hid a tint of anger.  "You, who wishes to become strong, are not willing to work for your strength?  Is that not true?  Is time more important to you than strength?"  When Zelgadis hung his head in silence at this, Rezo dismissed him with a wave of his hand.  "Then so be it.  I refuse to spar with someone of such insolence.  Go now and frolic your time away.  Enjoy life while you can, before obsession rips you apart."

            Zelgadis gave Rezo a queer look at this, but slowly edged towards the door.  He looked back at Rezo, surrounded by the boards of the wooden dojo.  Holes and dents, all made by his body, were scattered along the room.  Zel slipped out of the door, closing it behind him.

            Rezo sighed.  He mumbled a spell, and the dojo looked new once more.  Rezo then followed Zelgadis out of the door, turning towards the huge mansion of which the dojo was a part of.

            Zelgadis rushed through the side door of the mansion, skipped up the regal staircase two at a time, turned left to a beautifully decorated hallway, opened the door to his room, and slammed the door shut behind him.  Shedding his stinky clothing, Zelgadis scrambled into his adjoining bathroom, and under his showerhead.  He let the cold water wash over his aching muscles, and relaxed.  He didn't mind that it was cold; he was used to it, and actually preferred it.

**

            Lina blushed more at seeing Zel in the shower, but the camera stayed centered on his upper half during this point.  Zel, like Lina had done before, tried to sink lower in his seat and failed.  He himself was embarrassed that Lina was seeing him taking a shower, regardless of the fact that it was only a movie clip.

**

After scrubbing the dirt out of his skin and hair, Zelgadis got out, dried himself, put the towel around his waist, and went back into his bedroom to choose his outfit.  He opened a drawer of a large mahogany dresser and pulled out a stylish blue tunic and an undershirt of sorts; he opened a different drawer and selected a lighter blue pair of pants and underwear.  Zelgadis didn't hesitate to change into these clothes, and check himself in front of a full-length mirror.  He combed his hair before attempting to smooth it back; the wings remained and a portion of his bangs continued to cover one of his eyes completely.  Zelgadis sighed at this and gave up on it.  Selecting a nice pair of shoes out of about ten on top of the dresser, Zelgadis headed back out the door.

Zelgadis hopped down the stairs on one foot, as he tried to walk and put his shoes on at the same time.  By the time he was at the door, he was ready to go.  Zelgadis walked into a waiting carriage, and was taken to the middle of town.  There, he disembarked, and strolled down to the local coffee shop, Cafetière de L'amour (If you know what that means, let me know! ^_^).

His walk was carefully coordinated to look rich, but modest; nice, but strong.  His searching glance locked onto his target, and he walked slowly towards it.

Zelgadis' gaze was followed, and a beautiful girl talking with her friends animatedly, came into view.  Her hair lightly flowed down the sides of her face, a little past her shoulder blades.  She wore a flowery sun dress, and had a daisy situated behind her ear.  Her lips were full and as red as a rose in full bloom.  When Zelgadis stopped in front of her table, the sun shone in from the window, and made her fair skin glow with radiance as she turned.  She smiled sweetly up at him, and greeted him kindly.  Zelgadis awkwardly bent his head in a bow, and managed to say a small 'Hi. . . Rose.'

Rose giggled a little with her friends before asking what she could do to help Zelgadis.  Fumbling nervously, he stumbled and stuttered until he managed to get out piece by piece, "I was wondering if you'd like to go to the Winter Solstice festival with me. . ."

Zelgadis suddenly felt a huge impact on his shoulder.  It pushed him to the ground.  Zelgadis groaned from the pain as he slowly sat up and looked at his attacker.  Something inside him wished he hadn't.

Towering above him with a possessive, intimidating glare, was Johnny O'Keefe – the Lady's Man.  His menacing voice growled, "Get lost, shrimp.  Rose's going to the festival with me."

Zelgadis' eyes roamed to Rose; her eyes looked slightly pained, but she nodded.  Johnny smirked with a chuckle.  "See?  So beat it."

Zelgadis smiled wanly.  "I guess. . . I'll see you there, then.  Well, bye."

They watched him as he scrambled to his feet and ran out the door.  Johnny's raucous laughter haunted him until the door was slammed shut.

The scene blinked as if a glitch had been placed, but it was just a skipping of time.  The sky was dark now, but lights lit up the streets as vendors sold an assortment of different souvenirs and snacks.  Zelgadis walked the crowded path dejectedly.  His head talked to his shoes as he became unaware of his surroundings.

"Zelgadis!  Is that you?"  
            Zelgadis' spirits immediately lit up, as the fresh scent of a rose reached his nose.  He looked toward the call, and identified Rose – closing the space between them with every passing second.  Finally, Rose caught up to him, and her chest heaved as she caught her breath.

She looked up at him and smiled.  "I'm glad you came.  My friends separated from me with their boyfriends," Zelgadis' face visibly lit up hopefully, "And I can't find Johnny anywhere.  Will you tour the festival with me?"

He was positively awestruck.  Rose giggled slightly at his reaction.  Finding his voice, Zelgadis tried to respond smoothly, "Well, I'm sure it hasn't changed in the last century or so, but sure; I'll come with you."

Rose smiled and linked arms with Zelgadis flirtatiously.

**

Lina watched as they played games at booths, entered little contests, won prizes, and bought food, among other various things.  She felt a strong emotion rise inside of her.  An emotion that she could only identify as _jealousy_.

**

As the night was drawing to a close, Rose insisted on one last event before leaving.  Zelgadis asked what could possibly be left, and was answered by Rose's finger pointing to a swinging sign that read, "Dragon's Dungeon: BEWARE!" in dried red blood.  Zelgadis shivered, but agreed to walk in with Rose.  Now that he had spent some quality time with her, he didn't have the heart to tell her that he was scared.  After all, he didn't want her to think he was a coward, now _did_ he?

They walked down an icy cold barren hallway.  The spectators knew the hallway to be cold, because Rose and Zelgadis were both shivering from head to toe.  Before long, their reverberating footfalls came to a stop, as they had reached a pair of tall brass doors.  Tentatively, Zelgadis gulped, and inched his hand towards the brass ring handles.  He bit back a yelp as he quickly retracted his hands and shook them vigorously.  When Rose asked what was wrong, Zelgadis replied that the handles had been so cold that they were capable of frostbite at a single touch.  That said, Zelgadis vouched for an alternative route to getting in: he kicked the door. . . hard.

That one kick resulted in a loud click, as if a trigger had been pulled.  The walls around them shook; small pieces of the ceiling floated down in the form of dust particles.  Creaking louder than anything else, the doors opened forebodingly, as if tempting them into the jaws of He** itself.  From the sudden rush of fire that erupted from the open doors, it felt like it, too.

When Zelgadis came to a few minutes later, he was on the floor, now warmed by the breath of the fire breathing dragon just beyond that wide doorway.  Clutched underneath his front set of claws, the dragon kept Rose captive, and huffed in a way that taunted Zelgadis to an unbearable extent.  Unable to restrain any longer, Zelgadis rushed forward, the adrenaline of heroism coursing through his veins.  His eyes were stone cold as he bull-rushed the burning red dragon, who was twenty times his size, at least.  Something completely and utterly predictable happened at that moment.  The dragon used his other clawed paw to swipe Zelgadis in the air.  The would-be hero was out like a light.

It was then, that Rezo appeared before the dragon.  A wave of his staff, and Rose was slung over his broad shoulder.  The rings atop the staff clanged as Rezo sent the staff crashing down to meet the floor.  The doors closed once more; the dragon was locked up once more.  Rezo used his free hand to levitate the limp form of his grandson.  In this manner, he _escorted_ Rose and Zelgadis back to their separate homes.  As Rezo rested Zelgadis on top of his bed, he smirked, knowing full well that Zelgadis would be more than willing to resume his training with vigor.

**

The next scene that they saw was when Zelgadis first became a chimera.  Unable to handle seeing Zelgadis in such grotesque pain, Lina forced her eyes shut tight until the ordeal was over.  Zel, the narcissist that he is, believed this action to be proof that Lina really did hate his monstrous form, and could not stand the sight of him, without his present clothing to shield most of himself from view.  That same voice instilled this belief in him, and left no room in his mind to question it.

The scene soon faded again, to show Zelgadis (the chimera) confronting Rose at her doorstep.  Horrorstruck to her very core, Rose let out an earsplitting scream, and ran right back into the house, slamming the front door hard in his face.  Lina winced at the sudden slam.  Her anger soon returned ten fold, as she felt raw hatred towards the woman who was so shallow as to do that to Zel in his stricken state.  Her eyes burned with passion, the passion to scratch Rose's eyes out, mar her perfect body, and then wring her neck until she passed on into the next world.  Lina stopped these thoughts with a start.  When had she begun to think like this?  Never, in all her years, had she even thought about doing such things.  What was happening to her?  Was it simply this room, or had her long stamped emotions finally gotten the better of her?  Lina let out an aggravated sigh.  Her head hurt with a migraine as mind-crushing as entry into the Sea of Chaos.

Lina could barely keep her eyes open, as the clip ended with a cold Zelgadis leaving his town via road, while buildings burned and screams were heard, underneath the full moon.

Zel looked to Lina for her latest reaction.  As she narrowed her eyes warily from the sight of him destroying his own hometown, Zel's suspicions were confirmed, in his own mind.  The voice in his head convinced him that Lina could never love a monster like him.  Love?  Zel questioned himself with surprise.  When had he suddenly even considered whether or not Lina, now his best friend, loved him.  This was indeed, becoming quite an interesting adventure.

Something stirred within the back of his mind as Lina and Zel were released from their binds.  The screen dispersed into thousands of silver dust particles, as did the chairs.  As they stood up, they both looked toward where the screen had been moments before.  A sudden realization dawned on them, as if they were just waking up from an antagonizing nightmare.

What was the strange contraption that allowed them to see into the past?  Into each other's pasts?  Where had the style of those black chairs come from?  With each passing second, those details withered into nothingness within the depths of their souls, but the past events that the bewildering machine had allowed them to glimpse, was still enflamed at the very surface.

A/N:  Whew!  Okay, that's another chapter done.  How'd you like it?  Btw. . .If you happen to find any little mistakes in my writing, expect it because I hate proofreading.  It only prolongs my updates ten times longer than even a flamer would want them to.  So phooey on proofreading, and I hope you review my story for the content of it, and not to point out the dumb mistakes that I know I made.  In other words, Please Review Kindly!  ^_^


	4. Day Two

A/N: You know what? It's strange. . . all my reviews except one have been "Anonymous".  So I can't personally respond to any one reviewer T_T  Ah well, deep down, I don't really care, since they _are_ still reviews, but it'd be nice to see more signed ones.  Oh, and sorry if this seems a little late. . .I've been staying up much too late these days, and I'm too tired to write.  Well, let's get started.

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or anything else that isn't mine to own.

Day Two

            Zel blinked and looked around.  The movie room was nowhere in sight; all around him was inky black darkness, save for the light shining from Lina and himself.  The second he opened his mouth to ask where she thought they should go from there, a very pale pathway appeared before them.  As they followed the path with their eyes, they saw that it seemed to go on forever, and yet, faded into the darkness.  The pair exchanged glances.  Shrugging, they stepped onto the path together, and walked the length of it.

            After only a few minutes, the road seemed to come at a stop.  The darkness shrouded the path a few inches from their boots.  Carefully, Lina took a few steps forward and held her hand out before her.  She chanted a Lighting spell. . . and was revoked.  The force from her hand flashed briefly as it pushed her back hard enough to knock down Zel whose heavy body stopped her from flying any further.  For a second, Lina remained lying on top of Zel, back to chest, before realizing what she was doing; as quick as lightning, Lina scrambled off, a blush bright enough to light their way displayed on her cheeks.  As Zel stood up, a lighter, but still evident blush was present.  Lina remarked with an uneasy laugh, "Heh, I guess that means spells aren't allowed here.  Maybe the light shining off of us will be enough.  Let's start moving, hm Zel?"

            To this, Zel merely nodded.  When Lina turned to start walking, Zel rubbed his chest slightly.  The pain of the force had knocked the breath out of him.  He knew Lina to be naturally light, but that just meant the force was that much stronger than them.  And to think, that was only a light spell.  Zel shuddered as he thought what might have happened if Lina set off a Dragon Slave.

            Up ahead, Lina's heart was pounding.  First from the sudden power from the spell; second from the feeling she was just beginning to learn about.  Lina had felt the strangest sensation when Zel caught her in his arms.  She felt happier than she had ever felt in that one moment.  She felt the urge to have many more similar occurrences in the future, but only with Zel.  Lina wasn't exactly sure what it was, but she knew that it was different from what she had felt when Gourry saved _her_ from the Sea of Chaos.  Lina felt that this new feeling was deeper than that, stronger than that, and possibly. . . more intimate than that.

            They walked on for a long time in silence.  Their personal light acted as a lantern would in pitch black night; only a little portion of the road appeared at a time, and disappeared behind them.  After what seemed like monotonously dull hours, the silence finally got to Lina, and she started to talk.

            To get into it, she talked about Amelia; how she looked, how she talked, how she acted, all that to start with.  Sensing Lina's uneasiness, Zel began to respond to her telling by asking questions at certain moments, and making comments when he felt necessary.  Lina told him more about the prince Amelia had wed.  A smart, reliable husband who was kind to all; a perfect match for Amelia.  Then Lina related how Amelia had been reunited with her long lost sister, Gracia, a.k.a. Naga, who gracefully allowed her little sister to take the thrown.  Zel smiled slightly when Lina told him that Naga had been her traveling companion before she met Gourry, and that Naga only renounced her claim to the throne if her little sister allowed her the best room in the palace aside from Amelia's.  Zel expected as much from a companion of Lina.

            When Zel changed the subject to ask what had happened with Luna, Lina shuddered involuntarily.  However, she related all that she cared to tell.  Luna was sixteen years her senior, though it didn't show as much as it should have.  When Lina was about four, Luna left with her believed soul mate, into this very realm.  Lina didn't know what happened to her in here, but she came out alone and heartbroken.  From then on, she released her frustrations on Lina from the most trivial of matters.  That was when Lina became so afraid of angering Luna that she began to increase her power and run away from home.

As time passed, the conversation uplifted in seriousness, and relaxed them both.  Somehow, in ways that was forgotten by the pair, they had reached the discussion of relationships, what made a good one, to be more exact.

            Lina had responded that she would want someone who could stand her punches, remember what she told him, be nice to her, protect her when she couldn't herself, and most of all, be completely devoted to only her.  In all honesty, most of that was what every woman dreamt of having in their prince on a white horse.  And most of them knew that it could never be possible.

            Zel was quiet for a time after this revelation.  When Lina asked him what he thought would make a good relationship, Zel hesitated.  A moment or two passed before he replied, "If everything that you just said applied to the woman as well."

            Lina thought about this and laughed slightly.  She agreed with Zel, but asked if he thought it would actually be possible.  Quietly, Zel responded, "If you find the perfect match, then by all means, yes."

            This brought on another lengthy silence.  Both were lost in their own thoughts as they mechanically moved their feet forward.  Zel found himself wondering what brought on the topic of relationships.  He wondered if he could start a relationship with Lina. . . Zel shook this thought out of his mind.  He could never settle down like that.  He only had one devotion - his cure.  If ever he found his cure, Lina would most likely have started a family; it was _that_ unlikely.

            Lina reminisced about their past adventures.  The more she thought about it, the more she realized it to be true.  She – her thoughts were interrupted by her stomach's growl reverberating through the emptiness – was hungry.

            She chuckled slightly and turned to face Zel.  Rubbing the back of her head, she patted her stomach and remarked the obvious, "All this walking must have worked up an appetite.  Did we bring any extra food?"

            Zel shrugged.  "If we did, you'd be carrying it."

            Lina laughed a bit louder at this.  "I suppose you're right.  Let's see here. . ."  Lina rummaged through her cape.  Her eyes lit up as she took out a well-wrapped medium-rare steak.  Her eyes glittered with anticipation as she unwrapped the piece carefully and poised her mouth for eating.  Caught up in the happiness of food, Lina had closed her eyes.  Zel watched with amazement as her jaws clamped. . . air.  In the moment between when she had closed her eyes and clamped down her teeth, a swirl of darkness had enveloped the food, leaving disintegrated waste as it disappeared into the mass of black.  Lina's eyes watered with grief when Zel had related this to her.  Determined to eat, she pulled out a drumstick, and kept her eyes on it this time.  Yet again, the darkness swallowed it up before she could.  Growling in frustration, Lina cried out into the darkness, "HOW DARE YOU TAKE FOOD RIGHT FROM UNDERNEATH LINA INVERSE!!!  WHEN I FIND YOU, WHOEVER YOU ARE, YOU _WILL_ PAY!!!!"

            As Lina recovered her breath, Zel pointed behind her and told her to look.  Lit dimly by a single candlelight, was a beautiful round table covered by a white cloth.  Two chairs sat across from each other, with the table laden with delicious food in the middle.  A sweet smelling aroma traveled to their noses from the table, tempting them, baiting them.

            Not thinking of the consequences, Lina ran to sit down in one of the chairs and get a close-up sniff of the food.  Melting in the succulent scent, Lina let out a completely relaxed sigh, as if all of her burdens had left her in that one moment.  Recollecting herself, she urged Zel to join her.  He was hesitant, however.  He voiced his worry that considering where they were, it might not be a good idea to eat the food here.  Lina gave him a glare as she told him it'd be an even _worse_ idea to leave this food with her still hungry for who knows _how_ long.  It didn't take long for Zel to realize the truth of Lina's words.  Reluctantly, he sat down in the vacant seat, and began to eat with Lina.

            A severe hunger struck them both then, for they ate as if they had spent three years in a desert without food, and would never have the chance to eat again.  Caught up in their hunger, they didn't realize how suspicious it was that whenever a plate was emptied, it was magically refilled again.  They ate for what seemed like ages, but finally, they came to a stop.  Finishing her last plate a few bites before Zel, she laid back and patted her stomach.  She sighed contentedly.  When Zel sat back as well, the dishes slowly disappeared.  Lina peeked out of one eye to watch.  She yawned wearily and got comfortable in her seat.

            Lina was pulled from her trance when Zel suddenly said, "Lina, there's something written on this piece of paper."  Yawning again, Lina asked Zel to read it aloud.  He obliged.

**The first day is complete,**

**From the second you best retreat,**

**Before the shadows swallow,**

**The one you chose to follow.**

**Confined within self-conflict,**

**Newborn love you may depict,**

**A future lover's death, we shall predict.**

**Be wary.**

            Zel slowly looked up at Lina.  She was watching him intently.  Laughing nervously, Lina wondered aloud who the letter spoke of.

            "I-" Zel's response was cut off when thick vines of black energy captured Lina's mouth, neck, wrist, waist, and ankles.  It knocked over her chair as it pulled her back, swallowing her whole.

            Zel had no time to react.  He gulped uneasily before finishing his statement.  "I. . .think it was meant for me. . .Lina."

            The lone soul finally reacted and hurried to where Lina had disappeared.  He attempted jumping into the space Lina had disappeared to.  This action backfired when the darkness spat him back out, landing him on the now empty table.  In that moment, everything seemed to fall apart for Zel.  He felt as if he had lost the will to live, if it meant living without Lina.  Zel wasn't sure why this bothered him as much as it did.  He had lived all but three years of his life without Lina.  But those three years. . . were the happiest he had ever experienced in his entire life.

            Just then, a road appeared before Zel.  It glowed a ferocious gold.  Zel blinked; the light faded, though the road remained.  Hopeful that the road would lead to Lina, Zel didn't hesitate to take it.  He followed the road with determination, hoping for an oasis of sorts to appear before him.

            Zel didn't know why, but his mind began to wander.  It kept falling back on the last stanza of the writing.  He believed that he had unearthed a newborn love, and he was literally heartbroken at the prospect of her, Lina, dying.  He had yet to experience the inner-conflict that it spoke of.  His heart was full of pure, undying love and his determination directed only at finding his love again.  There was no conflict whatsoever; it was all optimistic.

            He traveled for what seemed like days.  The road sometimes curved, but it was generally straightforward.  Its color never changed, remaining that dull gray forevermore.  Used to endless chases, however, he remained determined and consistent.  Suddenly, Zel stopped dead in his tracks.  He hoped he had found what he was searching for.

A/N:  ^_~ This a kinda short chapter compared to some others, but I'm fine with it.  I think I can end this story in the next chapter too.  Well, don't forget to review, or I might not even _post_ the next chapter.  Ciao!


	5. Day Three

A/N: ^_~ "Cat-in-the Hat gone sour"?  Interesting insight.  Well, you'll have to forgive my poetry, I've never really had much of a knack for it.  Still, they're necessary to my story, and if you finish reading it, you might see why.  The None-so-Grand Finale!  Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers, or anything else that isn't mine to own.

Day Three

            Zel found that the road now split into two separate paths.  Both seemed identical in appearance.  Zel walked up to the wooden bulletin board between the paths, and read the note, scrawled in the same handwriting, on the same type of paper.

**The Second Day has passed at last,**

**The Third you have yet to surpass.**

**Whether you do, or you don't,**

** Is a matter of choice.**

**The Left holds the one you were searching for since yesterday,**

**The other holds what you've been seeking for all eternity.**

**Either one, will allow time for rejoice.**

**Which one will you choose?**

            Zelgadis contemplated this recent message.  He knew for certain that the one he had been looking for since yesterday was none other than Lina.  It took a moment, but he once more remembered why he had set his sights for here in the first place – his cure, the Curing Chisel.  So one road held his cure, and the other held Lina?  Zel unconsciously seated himself cross-legged in front of the sign.  He pondered his current position.

           To one that had spent almost half of his life obsessed with finding his cure, this was a hard choice indeed.  In actuality, he had first met Lina only a year or two after he was first cursed.  However, he had only recently begun to have a more-than-friends feeling about Lina.  Either choice would dramatically change his life.  If he chose the chisel, no longer would people stare at him and scream that he was a demon on a rampage, who sought the destruction of any town or creature in his path.  That was more Lina than him anyway.

            On the other hand, if he chose Lina herself, he could take to a quiet refuge away from society, alone in the wilderness with Lina.  No one would judge him, and he'd lead a nice, peaceful life with the woman he had. . . he didn't know what he had.  This presented a problem, but Zel pushed it aside to see how both plans could backfire.

            For one, the chisel could be like all his other leads – complete and utter fakes.  If that was to be true, he would lose his. . . best friend forever, all for a meaningless fake.  As for choosing Lina, she might not have the same anticipation for a future with him.  She could leave him forever and he'd be alone, without a cure.  He concluded to himself, that either way, he could be left with absolutely nothing.

            With a sigh, Zelgadis stood, and headed down the left path.  He had resolved, in his mind, that it would be best if Lina was safely alive, even if she wasn't with him.  He walked on for what seemed like miles.  Zel had become accustomed to walking in the years, and didn't feel the least bit tired.  However, this time allowed him to search within himself, for an answer, the one answer he was looking for.  How did Lina feel about him?  She had always been good at concealing most of her emotions, so Zel could never tell for sure.  He could have sworn, that all those times she hit Gourry, it was only a sign of playful affection.  If that was the case, a regular relationship with Lina would be painful.  Zel didn't doubt the fact that Lina could hurt him easily, if she wanted to.  That was the most important part of it all.  What did _Lina_ want?  His decision's outcome would rest firmly in the decision of Lina.

It didn't take long for Zel to start to think that he might just be happier without his cure, but only if he had Lina.  Sure, other people might judge him from appearance.  Heck, Lina, Gourry, and Amelia had _all_ prejudged him when they first met him.  But now. . . at least, ten years ago. . . they had been his best friends.  What now?  Ten years really was a long time to spend away from companions.  He had been so obsessed with finding his cure, that he hadn't even acknowledged Amelia's wedding.  With that admittance, Zel slowly began to realize how utterly narcissistic he had been acting all along.

Also, with that realization, he realized, too, what great friends he had had.  They had stuck by him, even in his monstrous form.  They laughed with. . . well, tried to have him laugh with them.  They dined with him, albeit fiercely; they traveled with him, it must have been thousands of miles in those few short years.  They embarked into the Outer World together, starved at first, swung into adventure next, assisted in saving the world once more, and then departed again.  Zel shook his head in disbelief as he reminisced.  For a group of four travelers, they had had more than their share of adventures.

A strange thought crossed his mind.  At every possible chance, he tried to leave them to seek out his cure in solitude.  Nearly every time he tried, he failed.  Either his friends stopped him or. . . fate led him right back to them.  He seemed drawn to the group, to Lina, like a moth to a flame.  Yet, he resisted it, tried to run away, tried to return to solitude.  Deep inside, he knew his intentions would come out fruitless. . . or maybe he never really tried.  Maybe, he didn't want to be far away from them.  Maybe, he was becoming like his Grandfather Rezo.  Would history repeat itself?  Would he be so obsessed with finding a cure that wasn't there, a cure for appearance purposes, that he would resort to making a sacrificial pledge with the Mazoku race?  As he looked back, he knew there were times that he had turned his back on the people that. . . he thought cared for him.  Like Shabrinigdo was controlling Rezo, Rezo controlled Zel so that he would attack his friends.  He saw what he was doing to them, but couldn't stop it.  He hurt more when Lina attacked him back, but in the end, he knew it was for the best.  Lina always knew what was best.  Compared to her, he was just a big an idiot as Gourry, just in a different sense.  If density was the same as denial, Gourry and Zel would be that much more similar.

During the second big adventure they had experienced together, Lina offered, or rather, insisted that she help him find his cure.  Somehow, that had turned completely haywire, with Lina gone and back again.  That was one momentous occasion for them all.  She had sacrificed all that she was, for Gourry.  Zel remembered feeling a twinge of jealousy when the Lord of Nightmares related that to them.  He also remembered swearing to himself that if Gourry hadn't beaten him to it, _he_ would have jumped into the Sea of Chaos to "retrieve" Lina.  He had tried, of course, but Zel supposed it was Gourry's Sword of Light and his devotion to Lina as her bodyguard that allowed him to do what he could not.  His devotion then, was not as strong as it was now.  This time, _he_ would save her.

Zel stopped himself then.  When had he begun to think like this?  _Why_ was he thinking them now in the first place?  As Zel began to walk and think again, he came to some conclusions.  He believed that it was really something like interest at first sight.  When they had first met, she had backfired his own bargain against him amazingly well.  But, with a chuckle he remembered, he had promised to take on three times her price, in time.  This had surprised both Zolf and Gourry, but her face remained unchanged.  If anything, it had become even more confident in appearance.  Zel knew then, that Lina was not someone that could be messed with, without the consequence being dealt out.  For some reason, the fact that he had met someone who could match or even overcome his wits, gave her a desirable quality in his mind.

            It was then, that he heard Lina's scream pierce the surrounding darkness.  Zel's heart jumped out of his stone skin, as the sudden sound scared him to death.  His demonic ears were particularly good at picking up sounds within two miles, but it hurt his ear drums severely they picked up high pitch, loud screams.  Not only that, but the fact that _Lina_ screamed like that, in life-threatening pain, sent shivers up and down Zel's spine.  The sound came from a ways ahead of him, so he followed the road towards it as fast as his demonic speed would take him.

            In the several breathless minutes that passed, Zel's mind whirled with magnified intensity.  Why had Lina screamed like that?  She most definitely did not sound alright.  Was it even her?  Zel screeched his heels to a stop, stumbled, and fell over.

            His breath had been completely knocked out of him.  As he recollected it, he slowed down his thinking to sort it all out.  The only time he had ever heard Lina scream, was when she was chasing after Gourry, fearing the worst.  Zel could not remember a time when Lina had ever simply screamed, with no words, like the scream he had just heard.  Maybe the dimension had gotten to him more than he thought.  Or maybe. . . Lina was facing worse pain than she had felt at the loss of Gourry.  Seething through his teeth, he got to his feet again, wondering if he was going insane.

When he looked up ahead of him, he blinked.  The road had widened to a circular platform only five feet in diameter at the most.  On the other side of the platform, there was a single door, with a red veil.  He could have sworn that hadn't been there a second ago, but nevertheless, he was relieved; he made his way toward the door.  He stopped directly in front of it to quickly calm himself down again.  This plan completely went awry when just a few inches from him, the door burst into bright, glowing flames.  Zel instinctively stepped back and shielded his face behind his arms.  The fire illuminated the darkness around him, but only slightly.

Slowly, Zel forced his arms to return to his sides.  The flame continued to burn its bright red, the tongues licking threateningly at Zel.  However, in the few minutes that Zel watched, it never spread more than a midget could pivot.  He watched the flames intently, wondering what his course of action should be.  He swore his mind was playing tricks on him again, because he heard overlapped pleads and screams in his head, in Lina's voice.  The voice pleaded to him, from behind the door, to help her, to save her, to stop- The voices were cut off abruptly, and all sounds ceased.  When Zel replayed this fact in his mind, he realized that the flames made no sound, much less heat.  However, as he became angrier with himself for not realizing this sooner, the flame became stronger.  The realization that he was so close and yet he couldn't even get through a door, made him even angrier at himself, as well as fed the flames.  Growling in frustration, Zel punched through the flames to the door.  Zel yelped slightly as the fire surrounded his fist, and traveled up his arm.  Quickly, he retracted his burning arm, and proceeded to do a standing version of stop-drop-roll.  So really, all he did was flap his arm against his cloak until it went out.  As soon as his anger turned to panic, the flames vanished.  Finally noticing the connection, Zel breathed in and exhaled deeply several times to clear his mind.  When he felt completely at peace, he opened his eyes again, and the door was perfectly fine.

Putting up a breathless smile, Zel pushed aside the veil and walked into the room.  A bright light blinded him upon his entrance.  Zel groaned as he once again instinctively shielded his eyes with his arms.  When he felt the light fade to darkness, he blinked repeatedly, adjusting his eyes once more.

            Zelgadis looked around slowly.  The path before him was very short in comparison to the ones in the past, and it led directly to. . . Lina.  Zel couldn't hold in his surprise.  Lina was in front of him, but she was bound by her wrists by a rope and unconscious.  The most surprising factor, aside from her being unconscious, was that she was suspended at least fifty feet above the level on which Zelgadis stood.  He looked around for anything that might possibly boost him up there.  As he suspected, nothing was around in the darkness save for the road to Lina.  He walked forward until he was almost directly below Lina.

            He attempted to jump, but it failed miserably.  He had gone maybe two inches off the path, and landed with a thud, forming an imprint onto the path.  Suddenly remembering what had happened to Lina earlier, he carefully aimed at the ground, and cast a Rah Tilt.  As if sensing his plan, the road gave way and sent his spell downwards instead of simply pushing him backwards, up to Lina.  Zel had almost fallen through the hole that his spell had made, but he grabbed hold of the edge of the road and hoisted himself up.

           Once comfortably on the road again, he looked up to Lina.  If a Rah Tilt worked, maybe he could levitate himself up.  He cast the spell, and he found that he could, in fact, fly.  He boosted himself with Ray Wing, and made his way up to Lina.  The rope swayed in a taunting manner, always keeping out of his reach.  Zel found himself growling with frustration; the rope was _mocking_ him.  Every time he made a grab for Lina, the rope pulled itself and her away, like an opponent dodging blows.  Finally, he resorted to physical damage – to the rope.

            He launched a direct fireball at the moving target.  The rope predictably moved out of the way, but Zel had anticipated this and programmed the fireball to follow the rope.  Before long, it was charred.  The rope soon burned through, releasing its captive.  Zel raced to catch Lina, but he suddenly found that she was nowhere in sight.  He whirled around and around in all directions, trying to find out where she was.  He was growing more frantic by the second; his heartbeat was racing again; his breaths came out short.

            He suddenly found himself wondering if he had driven away Lina already; if by some magical force, she left this plane for him to suffer alone in.  Not that he wanted _her _to suffer, but he didn't want to be alone.  Not anymore; no longer did he have any wish to be alone.  A loud, raucous laughter rang through the empty room.  Again, Zel turned left and right, trying to pin down where it was coming from.

            "You're so pitiful.  A weakling undeserving of the sorceress supreme, Lina Inverse.  Leave now, and your life may be spared."

            The cold, malicious voice seemed to have triggered something within the room, because as Zel turned, an opening, a doorway of yellow light, appeared at the end of the road, not too far away. 'Finally! A way out of here! Away from this h*** hole! Away from the screams!-'

Shaking himself, Zel rolled his eyes everywhere, still trying to find the body to match the voice.  "NEVER!!  I'LL NEVER ABANDON LINA IN THIS PLACE!!  SHOW YOURSELF!!"

            Hearing his call, the voice laughed once again.  It taunted him, "You are a tenacious _fool_.  Lina shall never be returned to you; she can be put to better uses than to be your caretaker.  She'll be very happy in doing so as well.  GO HOME!"

            Zel felt the heat of wrath rise inside of him.  He had finally recognized the voice.  "I'll say it once, and I'll say it again; NO!  I REFUSE to let Lina remain in the hands of a demon!  Now, show yourself, XELLOS!"

            Like magic, Xellos, the General Priest of Zelas Metallium appeared; the limp figure of Lina folded over his arms in front of him.  In a moment of snap judgment, Zel speeded towards Xellos in an attempt to get back Lina as he yelled, "Give me back my Lina!"

            He missed horribly as Xellos teleported with Lina, but he had stopped dead in his tracks anyway.  Since when had he used the possessive 'my' to describe his relationship with Lina?  His thoughts were becoming more and more _bizarre_ by the minute.  He had to retrieve Lina and get back to the real world soon.

            "COWARD!!  Come and fight me!"

            Now Zel knew he was becoming insane.  Challenging a monster, probably the fourth strongest monster in the world now, to a _fight_?  The very _idea_ of such a thing was lunacy.  Nevertheless, Xellos heeded his call.  With a wave of his hand, he let Lina float in the air alone, and caged her.  Drifting in front of the cage, as to block Zel's view, he smirked.  "Defeat me, and the cage shall disappear.  Lose, and you will be returned to your world alone."

            Xellos pointed his staff towards Zel, who went into fighting stance.  "Let the battle begin."

            In a flurry of spells, physical blows, and clashes of sword and staff, the battle went on.  Both seemed incapable of falling, or fainting.  Even when Zel tried a Rah Tilt, Xellos spun his staff and changed its course.  When Xellos used the magic of his staff, Zel deflected it in the same way.  For hours on end, they blocked each other's moves, although several hits still made contact.  They seemed evenly matched, and invincible.  Finally, in one moment, it was over.

            Xellos, in waiting for Zel to catch his breath, why he cared to rescue Lina to this extent.  The answer dawned on him in a tidal wave of emotions.  "Why?"  Zel chuckled to himself.  He turned to stare directly at Xellos and yelled as loud as he could, "Because I LOVE HER!"

            As if those words were a deadly disease, Xellos clutched his sides, keeled over, and combusted (Oo0 Don't worry I'll explain!).  Breathing hard, Zel slowly made his way towards Lina.  Using his chimeric strength, Zel easily bent the iron bars, and took hold of Lina.  Drifting as if he were a ghost, he slowly made his way to the exit.

            In a blinding flash of light, they had finally left the dimension, together.

A/N:  Sorry all you Xellos fans! ^_~  When I say combust, I'm sure you know I mean blow up from the inside-out.  If you think Xellos is way too strong to be defeated just like that, wait for my explanation in my epilogue.  I hope you enjoyed this story though.  I'm very thankful for your reviews as well.  Either I must be getting better, or more people are noticing my fics, because I think this story takes the cake! ^_^  Thanks much for your time!  If you want the epilogue, tell me in a review!  :P  Ja ne!


	6. Epilogue

A/N:  Reviews make me so happy. . .^_^  Well, here's the epilogue as promised.  It may be a bit different from normal ones, since it explains a lot of things from the story.  I'll let you decide.  Please review some more!

Disclaimer: I don't own Slayers or anything else that isn't mine to own.

Epilogue and Ending Notes

            Zel groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.  He ached all over, although it had a touch of numbness on the surface.  As he looked wearily up at a pale peach painted ceiling, he became increasingly aware of his surroundings.  Light shown down on the blanket that covered him.  The cool breeze affirmed his assumption that there was an open window on the wall behind him.  He looked down at the blanket, and found that it was a very warm, insolating quilt.  It was a bit faded in color, but still well-stitched and together.  He judged from this that he definitely wasn't in an inn.  A home maybe?

            Zel eased his head sideways to look around a bit more.  A dresser stood tall on the adjacent wall.  As he scrutinized it a bit more, he realized that the dark wood showed signs of burns, in various places.  Although this was beautifully done, as if on purpose, burns were burns.  And they reminded him of Lina.  Could this be. . .Lina's room?

            As if answering his questions, the door in front of the foot of the bed opened, and in came Lina.  She was carrying a tray full of food.  From what Zel could see, it was a bowl of soup, some fresh juice, and a small loaf of bread.  Lina's expression seemed to brighten considerably as she locked eyes with him.  She quickly put the tray down on the end table next to the bed, and exclaimed the obvious, "You're awake!"

            Zel gave her a wan smile and replied, "So are you?"

            A second or two of silence passed before they both asked, "Are you alright?"

            They laughed softly at this.  Zel responded first.  "I think I'll be okay.  My muscles still feel sore, but I'm alright."

            Lina nodded understandingly and responded, "Well, when I woke up a few days ago, I was fine.  You, however, were completely beaten to a pulp."  Zel winced at her words.  "Sorry, but it's true.  I don't even know how it happened."  Zel started to blush a little as he remembered.  He bid Lina to continue.

She told him how she had taken him to the nearest inn and tried to heal him herself, but the strain was too great, and she fainted before she barely got into it.  When she woke up, she decided that the best thing to do would be to return to Zephilia, to seek Luna's help.  So Lina had flown him back, and that was where they were now.  Zel contemplated this, and suddenly asked how long he had been unconscious.  Counting on her fingers while looking up, Lina answered that today would make it four nights, five days.  Zel's eyes popped wide open at this.  "That long?!"  Zel sighed as he turned back to look at the ceiling.  "I never realized. . ."

Lina giggled.  When Zel looked at her, she apologized, well, explained herself.  "Of course not!  It's hard to keep track of time when you're _dozing like a log_!"  At  this, Zel began to chuckle lightly himself.

Changing topics a little, Zel asked what Lina remembered about before, about that strange dimension.  She immediately grew grim, and quietly requested Zel to wait until Luna got home for questions like that.  Zel was bewildered that Lina would act so strangely to his question, but he nodded and closed his eyes again to rest.

It seemed only a few minutes later that Lina's soft call woke him up.  "Zel?  Do you think you're well enough to sit up and eat?"

Zel smiled as he opened his eyes again.  "Anything's possible when you're around."  Zel slowly eased himself up; Lina helped prop the feather down pillows behind him.  When he was comfortable, Zel flexed and stretched his arms to make sure they worked properly.  Once he was ready, Lina set the tray carefully on his lap.  Zel ate calmly, but his eyes constantly roamed to the ever watching stare of Lina.  Before long, this stare unnerved him.  He had to ask, "What is it?"

She smiled softly at him, but said nothing, only shaking her head.  "You'll know soon enough."  Zel raised an eyebrow at her, but she only continued to smile.  Zel pushed away the tray, saying that he had finished.

Suddenly, Zel heard the distinct sound of a door closing, but somewhat far away.  Lina had heard it too, and her smile brightened.  As she stood up, she confirmed, "Luna's home."

Lina asked if Zel could stand.  He answered that he probably could, with some help and stretching.  So Lina helped him, and together, they traveled out of the room, onto the living room couch.  Just as they were seating themselves, Luna came from around the corner with a tea set on a tray.  Zel recalled later how much of a contrast there was between the nice, flowery designs of the tea set compared to the grim, foreboding look of Luna.  She silently seated herself in the large plush chair across from them.  After pouring three cups of tea, adding just the right amount of sugar, cream, and milk, she handed one to each of them, saving one for herself.  Taking a long, drawn out sip from her cup, she sighed into it, easing her muscles.  Slowly, she set down her cup on the coffee table, and leaned back, turning to face Zel and Lina, Zel in particular.

"Now then, let's begin.  Tell me what you remember of your trip."

Zel took a sip from his cup while he collected his thoughts.  Lina seemed to be doing the same thing.  Setting down his cup as well, Zel started.  He told of how they had been sent tumbling into some sort of room that revealed certain past events.  Luna urged Zel to divulge further into these "past events".  If her eyes had not been hidden by her bangs, they would have shown Luna's vast astonishment at both of their memorial events.  Going on, Zel described the winding roads surrounded by darkness; Luna did not seem surprised by this, or the fact that their magic would not work at this time.  When Zel informed her about the abrupt feast, and how Lina had been kidnapped by the darkness, he felt her icy stare locked on him, varying rapidly between softening and hardening.  

Zel gulped then, but then skipped to how he had found himself in front of a fork in the road: Lina or the cure.  By this time, Luna had crossed her legs and propped her elbow on her knee.  As her chin was then positioned beyond her slender fingers, he did not catch the small smile that appeared when he told her his decision.  Lina's expression was completely glowing with happiness, increasingly so with every revelation.  Zel related his encounter with the emotion-invoked flame, the daunting rope, and finally, Xellos.  The sisters' eyebrows jumped at this.  Lina voiced the question, "What was he doing there?"  Zel shook his head, saying that he still had no idea.  He continued, telling of his fight, and how he had beaten him.  Lina blushed twenty shades of crimson at this, and found that she couldn't keep direct eye contact with either of them for several minutes.  Luna smirked behind her hand.

Luna verified, "Is this the first time you've admitted these types of feelings for my little sister?"

When Zel nodded, blushing himself, Luna let out a hearty laugh.  Upon recovering, she remarked, "Imagine that!  Ha. . . The first time you say something like that, it's to a high-level _male_ _mazoku_.  Simply Hilarious!"

Zel blushed even more, and caught Lina giving him an uneasy sideways glance.  He mumbled to her, "Don't even _think_ it.  I _don't_ like guys that way."

With a Cheshire cat grin, Luna asked, "Well then, do you still mean it now?  To Lina?"

Zel nodded.

"Say it," Luna challenged him.

Zel nodded again and turned to face Lina.  Holding her delicate hands in his, he locked eyes with her and declared, "I. . love you, Lina.  I meant it before and I mean it now.  It took this trip to realize it, but now I know better than ever.  I've loved you for a long time, maybe since we first met.  Now I'm even surer that my love will last forevermore, no matter what."

Lina's whole face was now burning red.  She had forgotten that her big sister was there, and Luna knew it.  Trembling at first, Lina replied with her own little confession.  "It's the same for me.  I didn't admit to it when I first went in, but I'm not afraid to say it now.  I love you too, Zel."

There was a pause before Luna clapped, a smile on her face.  "Bravo, bravo.  You finally did it.  It took you two numbskulls long enough.  Now it's my turn to explain.  First off, the realm you were in is always described as "Emotional Torture".  Would you agree?"

When they both slowly nodded, Luna continued.  "Well, this realm, as it is so obviously dark and negative, was created by a monster.  Deep Sea Dolphin to be exact.  In fact, if you search in the darkness, very far off of the road, you'll find a passage to her home.  Incidentally, she created that place to serve as her 'entertainment'.  The ideal was to have a couple with little hope travel through the place, break apart because of the choice the more ignorant one chose, and have neither live in happiness afterward.  For many a couple, this has happened.  Some have been dealt with most unfortunately.  For you see, this 'Emotional Torture' realm nullifies outside help in any way, meaning no magic or special effects, and the pair is left alone, with only themselves and their emotions at their disposal.  Therefore, this dimension is programmed to heighten emotions until they can either serve as your power or your downfall or both at once.  Works rather well in a Mazoku's point of view, no?"

As they were both silent, Luna went on.  "Lina may have said this before, but I'll repeat it.  I myself once went into this realm, with a man I care not to reveal the name of.  All that happened to you, had happened to me as well.  It is a good thing that you did not choose the cure then, Zelgadis.  I, however, was not so fortunate in judgment.  I allowed my obsession to get the better of me, and thus sentenced my partner to a lifetime of misery and pain, within a secret chamber of the realm.  All of the notes that are in there were written by Deep Sea Dolphin herself.  The last I read before I was forced to leave, made me the angriest of all.  To prove the point of my story, I'll repeat it as I remember it.

**As you wish, you are spared**

**From Death, who was to knock on your door.**

**However, your partner has not as well fared;**

**He will remain forever, torture in store.**

**You have chosen your fate.**

**Save yourself, kill your one soul mate.**

**Leave now, for what's done is done.**

            "I cried at that; I cried for days afterwards.  But I was forced to dry my tears, to raise Lina.  I have yet to cry since.  You should know. . . I still remember the day that you spoke of, in Lina's memory.  Our parents died that day, and it was before I ventured to that realm."

            Zel furrowed his brows.  "I'd hate to interrupt, but I thought the chisel only cured the cursed.  What were you cursed of?"

            Luna scornfully replied, "A boundless love of my parents, the burden of raising my little sister alone, the burden of supporting us both and our home, the inability to work because of my sorrow – just to name a few."

            When this reply was met with a sullen silence, Luna went on with the next subject.  "Enough about me.  You're probably wondering why Xellos was able to be 'killed' the way he was.  If you think about it, it's very simple.  I said before that emotions are heightened to their utmost capacity.  Love and hate are the strongest emotions one can feel, and thus have the most potential to grow there.  So, your declaration of love then had such truth in them then, that it overpowered Xello's natural hate towards positive emotions.  Love vs. Hate, Good vs. Evil.  Do you understand?"

            Slowly, the pair nodded, as it began to dawn on them how simple it was.  Luna assented to their silent answer with her own nod.  She took one last sip from her cup, set it down, and leaned back again.  She turned the table over to Lina, asking for her to relate her side of the story, after she was kidnapped.

            Lina told that from when she was taken from the table, she had fallen unconscious.  The next thing she remembered was waking up as she and Zel hit the dirt of town square, in front of the opening.  The two people at the doorway had asked if she had found what she wanted.  She smiled as she replied to them, "Well, _I _did, and I think _he _did too."  She checked Zel to make sure that he was okay before taking him to rest in the nearest inn.  The rest, she had already told Zel, and Luna already knew.

            Nodding, Luna stood up.  "If there's nothing else, I have a job to get back to.  Feel free to stay here as long as you want.  Without Lina, these past years have been extremely lonely.  Oh, before I forget, here, catch."

            Luna took something from her apron pocket and tossed it in the air, directly into Zel's hands.  "It's the cure you were looking for.  Use it on the pebbles on your skin.  Your declaration of love already nullified your demon counterpart.  But in moments of anger or heated wrath, it will rise again.  If you chip away every last one of your pebbles on your skin, then your human hue will return to you.  Leave but one pebble, and you will keep the golem hardness in your skin, but everywhere but the area of the last pebble will be a normal peach/tan color.  Now I really must be going; I've wasted too much precious time already."

            As Luna left the room, Zel stared down at the object in his hands.  Chisels were very crude in that day and age; made of stone and rather large.  But this one, even though it had the shape of a chisel, it was gold, and was much finer by far than any chisel he had seen yet.  As he held it, it let off a gold aura, and a light humming sound.  Zel broke his stare to glance at Lina, who only smiled in return.  Deciding to test it, Zelgadis carefully held out his arm, and scraped off a pebble as he would a chip in a wall.  Without an additional sound, the pebble popped off effortlessly.  The small place that the pebble had been as well as a few millimeters around it, slowly turned from green to "pink" (When I say pink, you know I mean simply a human hue).  Realizing how utterly simple it all was, Zel's face lit up with utter glee.  After almost fifteen years of endless searching, he had finally found it, within the household of the Inverses.  He tried to show his gratitude to Lina, but she shushed him, saying that no thanks was necessary; they knew he wanted it.

            A question dawned on Zel then.  "Where did you get this from?  I chose the path without the cure, didn't I?"

            Lina nodded.  "You did – this is Luna's.  She told me that the chisel grants someone three cures/curses.  She used it to first grant her the strength to defeat any adversary, and second to forget her sorrow enough to work and live comfortably.  She saved the last, in case an emergency appeared.  Luna said that you could have the last wish, but you'd have to do it by hand because it would take too long for her to explain how to properly wish with it."

            Nevertheless, Zel shook his head.  "That's fine.  After all this time, if I'd only have to chip it off, I'd be so happy.  I think I'll do what Luna suggested, and keep, well, three areas stone, and take the rest off; in front of my heart, and on my shoulders.  Although, for places like my back, I really _could_ use some help. . .  Do you think. . .?"

            Lina agreed.  "If you'll let me, I don't mind helping.  I just have to ask. . .What will you do afterwards, now that you finally have your cure?"

            Zel took a deep breath.  He looked Lina in the eye and responded, "Well, if it's not too much to ask, I'd like to live with you, marry you."

            Lina's heart skipped a few beats, and her cheeks became flushed once more.  Gripping his hands as he had done earlier, she answered, "If my sister will allow, which I think she will, my answer is a whole-heartedly 'YES!' to both."

            Bright smiles were plastered on their faces as they stared into each other.  With every second, their faces became increasingly closer until. . .

            I leave the rest to your imagination.  Use it well.

A/N:  ^_^  There's the end of it!  Lots of fluffiness no? ^_~  Well, even though it's the last chapter, I still expect reviews! (More want than expect)

Usually, at the end of my stories, I have a little profile for the most important OC.  However since I made such a long epilogue, and there weren't any real OCs in this story, I've decided not to put it on.  Thank you for reading my story, and thanks ten times more for every review.  They've made me very happy.  Oh, I should say, at least now, that this was a request story from Graywards-girl.  Hope you all enjoyed it!  Ciao!


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